Winning the gaming game

Your guide to the next-gen console wars

You say that every year, of course; but this time, you mean
it. No more spending hundreds of dollars on videogames your kid will never
play, or consoles for your significant other that will just collect dust. Nope,
not this time. You won't be fooled by the holiday hype around the Xbox 360, PS3
and the Wii --- the
must-have gift items for '06 --- because you're going in armed. Educated.Enlightened.With
our guide to the next-generation videogame consoles, you'll easily dodge the
PR-babble and grab the right gift for your gamers this holiday season. (You can
thank us later. We like chocolate.)

The Xbox 360

The first contender in The Next-Gen Console Wars was
Microsoft's Xbox 360, which made its debut last November. Who could forget the
massive shortages, endless checkout lines and hundreds of consoles put up on
eBay --- some selling as high as $2000 each? Times are different now; the hype
has died down, and stores have had a full year to replenish and expand their
inventories. Demand for the 360, however, still remains strong.

The 360's major claim to fame is its emphasis on
high-definition gaming; although consumers can play their consoles on standard
television sets, games will only look truly stunning with HD-TV. Xbox 360
titles, which come optimized for 16:9 widescreen viewing, support high-def
resolutions of 720 and 1080 (standard definition resolutions hover around 480).
Higher resolutions provide more detail, meaning crisper images and sharper
lines (plus, you can really pick out the sweat on your Madden 07 football players' foreheads).

Another major selling point of the 360 is its highly touted
Xbox Live service, an online gaming/download network. The basic,
non-subscription version, dubbed Silver, allows users to create profiles, surf
message boards and talk to other members free of charge. It also allows access
to the Live Arcade, where players can buy arcade games, indie
titles, and some select "retro" games. (Some real gems are available through
Live Arcade, particularly classic or casual titles like Geometry Wars, UNO, and Texas Hold'Em.)
Silver users can also access the Live Marketplace to download and purchase game
and movie trailers, demos, gamer tag images, and Xbox 360 Dashboard themes. But
for $49.99 a year, gamers can upgrade to Gold status, which allows users to
play games against other 360 owners around the world.

Unfortunately, the 360's game library isn't appropriate for
young children. Most of the titles --- particularly the high profile ones ---
are rated Teen or Mature. So if Junior starts bugging
you for an Xbox and Dead Rising,
you're better off getting him a pony instead. That being said, if you're an
older gamer who likes first-person shooters, survival horror, and sports
titles, this console is definitely up your alley. (And even better, future 360
titles will include more platformers, puzzle and roleplaying games.)

You may remember from last year's holiday frenzy that the
Xbox 360 has two different price points: $299 for the "Core" and $399 for the
"Premium." The Premium version includes everything you'd need or want: a
detachable 20 GB hard drive, an HD-TV
cable, an Xbox Live headset and a wireless controller. The Core package, on the
other hand, comes sans hard drive, offers
no HD-TVcapability, and with only one wired controller. For casual
players, that's OK. But if you're buying for a dedicated gamer, you'll spend so
much money in upgrades for the Core version that the initial price savings
won't be worth it.

The PS3

Ken Kutaragi, president of Sony
Computer Entertainment, once famously claimed that the next generation
PlayStation would be so powerful that it would "instill discipline in our
children and adults alike. Everyone will know discipline." People laughed, but
looking at the specs of Sony's PlayStation 3 (coming out November 17), you can
see why.

The PS3 is a total powerhouse. Like the Xbox 360, there are
two versions of the console, but both forms include an internal hard drive,
four USB ports, the Cell Broadband Engine microprocessor, Yellow Dog Linux, a
wireless SIXAXIS controller, 1080p video, HDMI capability, and --- if that
wasn't enough --- the much-hyped Blu-Ray Disc media
player, which plays high-definition movies and games. The "Premium" PS3 also
comes with a 60 GB hard drive, Wi-Fi connectivity,
and multiple flash memory card readers. The "Basic" PS3, on the other hand,
includes only a 20 GB hard drive and neither Wi-Fi
nor memory card readers. (However, the package can be easily upgraded later on
by purchasing adapters and add-ons.)

For all this power, you pay out the nose. The Basic PS3 is
$499, and the Premium is a whopping $599. (Blame the Blu-Ray
player for stratospheric price tag.)

The PS3 will also have its own version of the Xbox Live
network, tentatively titled the PlayStation Network Platform. Unlike Xbox Live,
however, using Sony's online service is free. Users will be able to play online
games, mingle with other players, and access downloadable content over the
network. They'll also be able to purchase PS1 and PS2 games from the
marketplace (although to use your old memory cards, you'll need to buy an
adapter).

In the past, the PlayStation has been known for its large
and diverse selection of games; in comparison, the PS3 launch line-up looks
positively sickly. Although the system launches with 23 games, all but two of
them are currently out for other platforms (including the PS2). While this may
not matter for customers with no other consoles, most gamers already own at
least one other gaming platform and can play these games elsewhere. At least
most PS2 games will be immediately backwards compatible with the PS3, but that's
small justification for such an expensive purchase.

With a hefty price tag and a weak game lineup, the PS3
offers little reason for anyone to stand in line on launch day. But keep your
eyes on this console; as its library grows, especially with games that fully
exploit its HD capability, the PS3 could be the console war's long-term winner.
It all depends on whether Blu-Ray technology takes
off, making the PS3 Blu-Ray Disc player a wise
investment.

The Wii

Are these prices making your wallet ache yet? Never fear: at
$249.99, Nintendo's Wii (released November 19) is by
far the cheapest of the Big Three consoles. In fact, it's downright reasonable.

What sets the Wii apart is its
funky new controller, the Wiimote, or a wireless
baton shaped like a TV remote. The controller works as a pointing device aimed
at the TV screen, registering motion and rotation in three dimensions; it can
act like a fishing pole, sword, light gun, baseball bat, ping pong paddle,
magic wand and more. If rotated sideways, it works exactly like a classic NES
controller, with a D-pad and two buttons. The Wii
also takes various add-ons, like the Nunchuk
attachment (which registers motion with no pointing ability), a Classic
controller for playing Virtual Console titles, and a Zapper shell for
first-person shooters. You can even plug in your old GameCube
controllers.

Like the Xbox 360 and the PS3, the Wii
will have its own online services, designed to mimic TV channels. Over the Mii Channel, for instance, gamers can customize profiles
and avatars as well as interact with other Wii
owners. Over the Virtual Console channel, players can purchase and download
hundreds of games from previous-generation consoles, including the NES, SNES,
N64, Sega Genesis, NEC's TurboGrafx-16, and even some old computer games.

The Wii also features an
incredible launch line-up. Not only is the game Wii Sports bundled with the system, but the Wii
also launches with at least 30 other titles. In addition, the Wii will be immediately backwards compatible with all GameCube games. Like past Nintendo consoles, most of the
games will be family-friendly. But in an effort to secure older gamers as well,
the Wii will offer plenty of Teen and Mature titles,
too.

So why is the Wii so cheap?
Simple: the console relies on last-gen hardware and
graphics. Essentially a souped-up GameCube,
the Wii won't support any HD gaming whatsoever, and
unlike the PS3 and Xbox 360, only 480p resolution will be supported. So, if
you're desperate to hitch to the HD bandwagon, the Wii's
graphical capabilities will disappoint you. On the other hand, non-HD graphics
means that Wii games ---especially titles made by
Nintendo itself --- will most likely remain $50 (unlike their higher-priced
cousins on the other consoles).

So, here's your cheat sheet for the holiday season. The Xbox
360 offers mid-priced HD gaming, but the games aren't for kids. The PS3 is
expensive but powerful, with a weak game line-up. And the Wii
is inexpensive and family-friendly, but has no HD-gaming.

We've done all we can. Now you're ready to take on your next
challenge: the mall.

The hot list

Need stocking stuffers in a hurry? Here are three of the
must-have games for each console this holiday season, complete with six-word
summaries for your convenience.

In This Guide...

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